SS15 wildlife watching

Thursday, 28 May 2020

From my lockdown window – 28th May 2020

I heard a calling Green Woodpecker at 6:45 a.m. and a singing Blackcap at 10:20 a.m.

Other than that, it was again a relatively quiet day.

I recorded the following species today (heard only records in italics):

Blackcap
Blue Tit
Dunnock
Wren
Starling
Goldfinch
Green Woodpecker
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Herring Gull

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Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Clap for our carers

Clap for our carers …. every Thursday at 8:00 p.m.

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Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Wednesday, 27 May 2020

From my lockdown window – 27th May 2020

I heard a singing Chiffchaff at 5:45 a.m. and a singing Blackcap at 6:30 a.m.

Other than that, it was again a relatively quiet day.

I recorded the following species today (heard only records in italics):

Chiffchaff
Blackcap
Blue Tit
Blackbird
Dunnock
Wren
Starling
Goldfinch
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Magpie
Carrion Crow

💚🦆 🦉 🌼 🌳💚

Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Visit to Noak Bridge Nature Reserve - 27th May 2020

Date: 27th May 2020

Time: from 6:45 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 13°C to 20°C

On the approach path from Asda to Noak Bridge Nature Reserve, I heard a singing male Chiffchaff and a singing male Blackcap.

This was my first early morning visit to Noak Bridge Nature Reserve for some time.

As such, bird song and bird activity was much more evident than my last few visits which were later in the morning.

It is clear that a number of birds, particularly Blue Tits, Great Tits and Long-tailed Tits, have fledglings given the amount of noise generated by those begging for breakfast!

Having seen my first Common Whitethroat on the reserve on my visit 2 days ago, I saw what was presumably the same singing male in the same area this morning i.e. in the bushes at the end of the boardwalk and the bushes around Meadow Pond. It was much more showy today and this enabled a series of much better photos.

I again briefly saw a singing male Lesser Whitethroat in the bushes along the main track and also heard another in the bushes along the track running south from the Eastfield Road entrance.

In addition, I saw 2 singing Blackcaps and 1 singing Chiffchaff and heard 2 and 3 respectively of each species without seeing them plus I heard 3 Great Spotted Woodpeckers. There were 2 male Mallards on Willow Pond and a single Moorhen on Meadow Pond.

Compared with my visit 2 days ago which was later in the day when it was much warmer, I saw no dragonflies or damselflies. However, I did see 2 Speckled Woods, with a further individual just outside the reserve on my return to the footbridge over the A127, although this was the only butterfly species today.

Finally, I saw a Grey Squirrel in the bushes close to the Eastfield Road entrance.

Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):

Common Whitethroat
Lesser Whitethroat
Blackcap
Chiffchaff
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Long-tailed Tit
Robin
Wren
Dunnock
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Woodpigeon
Jay
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Mallard
Moorhen

Speckled Wood

Grey Squirrel

Here are some photos from my visit:

Photo: Common Whitethroat

Photo: Common Whitethroat

Photo: Common Whitethroat

Photo: Chiffchaff

Photo: Speckled Wood

Photo: Roesel’s Bush-cricket

Site totals to date:

Birds = 31

Mammals = 1

Butterflies= 9

Dragonflies and damselflies = 6

Reptiles = 1

Amphibians = 0

💚🦆 🦉 🌼 🌳💚

Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Today is World Otter Day

However, every day should be World Otter Day to celebrate these amazing mammals!

It all started back in 2009 with Otterly Mad Week, a week of events, education and fun and in 2014 it became International Otter Awareness Day.

Finally, in 2016 it evolved into the IOSF World Otter Day on 27^th May each year, a day designated to spread awareness of Otters and highlight some of the charities and organisations around the world dedicated to protecting the worlds Otters and their natural habitats.

Otters are carnivorous mammals in the sub-family Lutrinae. The 13 global Otter species are all semi-aquatic, aquatic or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family which also includes Weasels, Badgers, Honey Badgers, Martens, Minks, Polecats and Wolverines.

In the UK, Lutrinae is represented by the Eurasian Otter. It was effectively wiped out from much of it’s traditional range between 1950 to 1990 and it became restricted mainly to Scotland, especially the islands and the north west coast, west Wales, parts of East Anglia and the West Country. It is still a relatively rare but widespread species but it is now again found throughout the country although the largest populations still remain in the traditional strongholds.

The Otter is now protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is also a priority species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework, a European Protected Species under Annex IV of the European Habitats Directive and listed as Near Threatened on the global IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

I have seen Otters in the UK on many occasions, almost exclusively in north and west Scotland where they can be seen reasonably easily (especially on the island of Mull) but I have also seen them at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen in Norfolk. In addition, I have seen captive animals at the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey.

Here are some of my photos of this beautiful and entertaining mammal: